


Bus Stop

by rerumfragmenta



Category: Skyfall (2012) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Not Beta Read, bus stop au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-23
Updated: 2015-03-23
Packaged: 2018-03-19 08:00:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3602442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rerumfragmenta/pseuds/rerumfragmenta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James Bond meets a curious man at the bus stop.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bus Stop

**Author's Note:**

> As seen on my tumblr (http://tinyurl.com/mw6d6bs) split up in eight parts, all of the Bus Stop AU.

Waiting for the bus was one of the few things James hated. Mostly because it usually involved three things: early mornings, cold and people.

For the first, he couldn’t help it. The only bus he could take so that he would be at work in time was the 6.50am one.

The second was relative, but usually, no matter the season, it was quite cold that early. His nose and ears would get red and he would get grumpy.

As for the people, he thanked the heavens that it was early enough no one wanted to talk. If there was anyone at all.

But it were a couple of mornings that there was this one guy who would blast music in his headphones. It was loud enough for James to hear almost clearly, and it was of the pop kind, but not english, he was sure.

Nothing he wanted to hear at 6.50am anyway.

The boy himself wasn’t a problem. He would greet him with a polite nod, sit down next to him and not talk at all.

He had glasses and coats at least two sizes too big and his hair was alwasy a mess. He also couldn’t be older than twenty, as he looked barely eighteen.

This one particoular day —  James had had barelyy 4 hours of sleep, and not of the good kind —  he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Can you turn the bloody volume down?”

The boy squinted at him, and tilted his head.

James pointed to his ears and then lowered his hand slowly. _Turn it down_ he mouthed.

“Oh! Sorry!” the boy replied, taking his headphones off. He tinkered with his phone and finally stopped the music. “Was it bothering you?”

“A bit,” James replied, honest “What is it anyway? Doesn’t sound english…”

“It’s K-pop,” the boy replied, smirking “From Korea. Wanna listen?”

James shook his head. “No. It’s way too early and too cold.”

  
The other laughed and nudged him. “Come on! It’s good…” he said, handing James his headphones. When the mandidn’t take them, the boy huffed and placed him on James’ head anyway.

He scrolled through a song list for a second and pressed play.

There was piano and guys singing. It wasn’t what James usually listened to —  rock and classical music, with some acoustic or piano covers of this or that song —  but he couldn’t say it was unpleasant. Once the song was over, the boy took back the headphones.

“So, beside _baby don’t cry_ _…_ what the hell were they saying?” he asked, as the bus arrived.

_“After the darkness passes,_

_it’ll become as if it never happened._

_You’re not the one to disappear into foam,_

_something you never should’ve known._

_My love will protect you”_

The boy answered, as they hopped on the bus and sat down next to each others even though it was completely empty.

  
“Sounds sad…” James commented, sighing and trying to warm up his hands, rubbing them together.

“It is a sad song.” The boy stated, pulling his knees up, under his big parka, and basically turning into some sort of weird blob on the seat. “My name’s Ethan, but they call me Q.”

James felt himself smiling.

“Bond. James Bond.”

* * *

 

Eventually, James realized that he had seen the guy —  Q, Ethan… the K-pop dude —  before. They probably worked in the same building and sometimes they took the night bus home together before.

“Hello, James…” the boy greeted him with a yawn, as he stepped into the bus. It was the last one of the night, and usually James slept through the ride.

He waved at Q, who sat next to him. “Hi there, Q. Rough day?”

Q barely grunted. They didn’t spoke after, as they both were dead tired.

At some point halfway though the ride, James felt a heavy weight beside him. He turned his head to see Q, asleep, leaning on him, head resting on his shoulder. The man blinked.

Strangely enough it didn’t feel odd.

They had been talking everyday for a couple of weeks and James had found it refreshing to have a new acquaintance. The only people he tolerated at work were Eve Moneypenny —  the boss’ secretary — Bill Tanner —  who he still didn’t know what job he exactly had —  and the Boss herself —  Dame M, as everyone called her.

The only person he really considered a friend was Alec Trevelyan, the representative for the russian branch assigned to him.

And now there was Q.

When they arrived to James’ stop, he woke up the other and helped him get off the bus without faceplanting himself on the concrete.

“Wait… this isn’t the stop… where’s that sushi thing place?” Q mumbled, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

James frowned. “The one by that small Tea Room place? That’s like, two stops ago…”

Q groaned. “I always get food there before home because I still need to have dinner…” he said, whining. “Well, I am not hungry tonight… I think I caught a cold… but…”

He turned around to James, who was smirking, already on his way home.

  
“You owe me a dinner, man.”

* * *

 

 

Dinner was tricky to plan. Their schedule rarely made them met beside lunchtime.

Oh, lunchtime. James loved it now.

He and Q would sneak into one of the broom closets on their floor and eat there. They didn’t talk much as they were too busy stuffing their faces, but James looked forward to 12 o’clock everyday.

"Tonight!" Q hollered, walking into James’ office. He winked, and turned back around.

"Who was that?” His client - a young woman with too much money for her own good - asked him. James just smiled brighter and kept talking like nothing happened.

* * *

 

"It’s around here somewhere…" Q said, smirking, as they walked around a part of town James wasn’t used to.

They finally stepped into a small “Sushi Wok All You Can Eat Buffet Thing” (as Q called it), sitting by the window.

"So… we order the drinks - you drink sake, right? They have beer too… and then we get up and go wipe the convey belt clean!" Q announced, smiling brightly. Both of them were absolutely beaten, but they both wanted to enjoy the dinner and so some sort of "I am happy now, but wake me up if I sleep in the salmon nigiri-maki" atmosphere hung around them.

They talked a lot about the most diverse things.

James found out that Q liked a lot K-pop and K-dramas and anime and comics. He also liked video games and cats. He was surprised to hear Q also was an avid book reader and James wondered where he found the time to keep up with all his hobbies.

Q found out James was smarter than he looked and funnier than he though. He was happy to hear that the man loved a lot of the same books he liked, and that he was interested in hearing him rant about stuff like the latest anime he watched which blew his mind.

They ate and drunk and at some point just drank.

By the time they walked out the restaurant to go home, they were definitely not tipsy as they tried to convince themselves.

"… and then I thold her, look ma’am I appreciate your intheresth in our company but I don’th think banging the secrethary would be a good idea!" James giggled, an arm around Q’s shoulder so he wouldn’t collapse on the floor.

Q laughed, head thrown back and tears in his eyes. “Ohmygod you have a lispsthsp…” he slurred, poking James’ nose.

The man frowned and grunted. “Shut up.”

"Aww… it’s gone now…"

They were halfway to Q’s apartment when the stench from a dumpster behind a corner made both of them throw up on each other. It wasn’t pretty, but they were drunk enough that neither cared and it got another laugh out of them.

“Listen… you stink and I stink and I can’t let you go home like that…” Q murmured, as they stumbled up the stairs to his flat. “I threw up on you so, I’ll lend you a T-shirt or something…”

“Are you invithing me in?” James asked, hiccups breaking his sentence. Once in front of Q’s door, a loud burp got out of his mouth.

Q leaned against the door laughing, trying his best to unlock it.

Four tries later and another couple of burps, the finally managed to get in.

“Lead the way!” James declared, theatrically waving his arms around as Q dragged him by the belt loops.

They stumbled into the bedroom and onto the bed, their soiled clothes laying around the floor as they had undressed at some point.

“Ok… the… shirts… over there…” Q slurred, curling up like a cat on the bed. James tried to stand up, but instead only managed to collapse on top of Q and roll them around.

They didn’t move at all after that.

* * *

 

 

Q didn’t exactly wake up. He was awake, but he was warm and cozy and he didn’t want to open his eyes. He snuggled closer to his… pillow? Wait, what?

He frowned, feeling a headache starting to rise at the front of his head. He moved his hand around, trying to feel just how and where the hell he fell asleep the night before…

He ended up touching something hard under some soft fabric, which was a bit damp…

His eyes shot open and he froze. Beside him, James was wide awake and frozen in place just like him. And just like him, he had an impressive morning wood. In Q’s hands.

“OhmyGod Iamsosorry”

“ShitFuckOhfuckfuck”

Q stood up and tripped on the covers, falling on the floor and dragging himself until his back was against the wall, while James stumbled and almost fell from the bed. They were both extremely red —  well, Q more than James, but just because the other had a darker complexion and a tan —  and they were gaping like fish out of water, mouth opening and closing, no sound coming from them.

“I uhm  —”  

“Listen, I  —”

Taking a deep breath both of them groaned, as the hangover finally kicked in. They looked at each other, half naked and half hard, and a little laugh escaped their lips.

Q pointed to the bathroom and gestured for James to go first. The man nodded and walked out as Q tried to collect himself.

“Uhm, so… I guess I’ll see you at work?” Bond asked, already outside Q’s door. He now was wearing a T-shirt who was definitely too small for him, his dirty clothes in a plastic bag Q had given him.

“Y-yeah…” Q nodded, waving awkwardly and closing the door with a whispered ‘fucking shit’

James didn’t move for a while, reevaluating his life choices. In the specific, those who made him end up staring longingly at a closed door.

Q didn’t exactly wake up. He was awake, but he was warm and cozy and he didn’t want to open his eyes. He snuggled closer to his… pillow? Wait, what?

He frowned, feeling a headache starting to rise at the front of his head. He moved his hand around, trying to feel just how and where the hell he fell asleep the night before…

He ended up touching something hard under some soft fabric, which was a bit damp…

His eyes shot open and he froze. Beside him, James was wide awake and frozen in place just like him. And just like him, he had an impressive morning wood. In Q’s hands.

“OhmyGod Iamsosorry”

“ShitFuckOhfuckfuck”

Q stood up and tripped on the covers, falling on the floor and dragging himself until his back was against the wall, while James stumbled and almost fell from the bed. They were both extremely red —  well, Q more than James, but just because the other had a darker complexion and a tan —  and they were gaping like fish out of water, mouth opening and closing, no sound coming from them.

“I uhm  —”  

“Listen, I  —”

Taking a deep breath both of them groaned, as the hangover finally kicked in. They looked at each other, half naked and half hard, and a little laugh escaped their lips.

Q pointed to the bathroom and gestured for James to go first. The man nodded and walked out as Q tried to collect himself.

“Uhm, so… I guess I’ll see you at work?” Bond asked, already outside Q’s door. He now was wearing a T-shirt who was definitely too small for him, his dirty clothes in a plastic bag Q had given him.

“Y-yeah…” Q nodded, waving awkwardly and closing the door with a whispered _‘fucking shit’_

James didn’t move for a while, reevaluating his life choices. In the specific, those who made him end up staring longingly at a closed door.

* * *

 

 

Q was avoiding him. Morning, lunch, evening —  it was so obvious that everyone at work was getting dangerously suspicious. Which was even more strange since he and Q had nothing to hide. They were good friends, it’s not like they were shagging.

Yet. Bond thought, as he signed his third contract of the day, and he found the thought of him and Q together… odd.

Bond didn’t do men. He had tried, failed and kept men for piss drunk one night stands. And that was it.

But he and Q were good friends and he liked Q and he didn’t want to make it awkward.

Once his shift was over, he would go find Q. He would face him and they would talk it out like adults.

He managed to finish work early, collected his stuff and headed down to the basement, where Q worked. He ran into a woman carrying way too many files in her arms.

“Do you know where I can find mr. Wide?” he asked her. She gave him directions and he followed them, only to find another man where Q was supposed to be.

  
“May I help you sir?” the man, a very young redhead with an oversized sweater asked him.

“I was looking for Mr. Wide, but I might have got —” Bond explained, interrupting himself when he heard a swear behind him.

He turned around and saw Q, ears red and hair a mess, looking back at him. “H-hello, James.”

The redhead seemed quite amused he made wiggly eyebrows at Q who swatted a file at him.

“So, I uhm… finished work early… and was wondering if, you know… you taking the bus home with me?” Bond asked, for the first time in his life not being able to form a complete sentence right away. Which was odd. And worrisome.

Q bit his bottom lip and nodded. “Let me just… get my stuff…” he replied, as the redhead kept giggling.

None of them spoke as they took the elevator one floor up and got out of the building. The ride home was silent as well, with a couple times where it seemed like one or the other was about to talk, but gave up.

Once off the bus, Q walked away, but James stopped him. “Wait.” he said, grabbing Q by the wrist.

The other man turned around and sighed.

“Listen, I don’t want us to be awkward, ok? I like your company and you’re a good friend and lunchtime has been shit without you an —”

“I know you screw your coworkers.”

Bond blinked. Q wasn’t looking at him, as he tugged his hand away.

“And I got a bit upset, I think. I mean you are a good friend of mine and I didn’t want us to be ove —”

“I don’t do men. I mean, don’t date them. One night stands? Yeah, but only if I’m drunk.” Bond interrupted Q. “I was… I just didn’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

Q looked up at him, mouth open. “Oh. OH.” he stuttered “That’s… good? So we… we were actually on the same page but we were too dumb to talk like proper adults. Great.”

Bond laughed at that. “Yeah, we are…. ridiculous.” he agreed. “Wanna come up for a cup of tea? The old lady next door kind of forced a huge basket of teas and sweets on me the other day…”

Q smiled, nodding.

* * *

 

 

It did not happen. They had gone to James’ flat for a cuppa, chatted a while and time slipped away easily and that was why Q had gone home so late at night.

Just that.

They didn’t have sex.

No.

No way.

  
They didn’t just started kissing each others in the middle of a sentence because who knows what possessed them.

Q hadn’t pushed James on the couch and straddled him, kissing him hard and deep until they were a bit dizzy. James hadn’t pulled him close and started to undress them both as quickly as he could. They didn’t end up having hot, mind-blowing sex on James’ couch.

Nope.

Not at all.

Q slid down his front door, looking up at the ceiling.

They didn’t have sex. No. It couldn’t be.

It was never going to work.

                                             — — — — — —

James was pacing back and forth in his bedroom, fresh out of a shower and still not dressed yet. He was patiently waiting for Alec to pick up.

He had fucked up. So. Bad.

He couldn’t even remember correctly who started it. Q? Him?

They were simply talking about something one moment, and the other they were kissing and wasn’t Q good at that.

Bond had also found out Q was very good at a bunch of things James hadn’t done in years. Those long, clever fingers and that tongue…

No.

He couldn’t do that.

  
He didn’t do men.

He didn’t do Q.

Even if technically he had.

“Alec, man, where were you!” he groaned, when his friend finally picked up.

“One cannot take a dump in peace… what’s up?” Alec answered, his voice clear and amused.

“I fucked up. Remember Q? The co-worked I told you?” Bond said, sitting down on the bed. “We shagged. Like, four hours ago.”

Alec stayed silent for a while. “So… you shagged a co-worker. Where’s the news?”

“He’s a man.”

“And you shagged men befo —”  

“You know I don’t do men if not drunk!”

“So you weren’t.”

“No, I was lucid and eager and oh, fuck he was so, so good…”

Bond could hear Alec roll his eyes from the other side of the phone. “Alec, stop. He’s a friend. I don’t wanna make it awkward.”

“Relax, Jamie.” Alec said “Friends sometimes shag. It happens. Why are you making such a big deal about it?”

“Because Q doesn’t do that. He does relationships. Committed, exclusive relationships. And I fucked up.”

* * *

 

 

Now it was his time to avoid Q. The thing was that, unlike Q, he was _crap_ at avoiding people. Which probably was why he barely lasted 3 days before Q slipped into his office and locked the door behind him.

“We need to talk.” the younger man said, sitting down in front of James.

  
James swallowed, nodding. “Look, I’m sorry… I really —”  

“It’s ok, James. It’s not like I didn’t want to.” Q interrupted him. He was smiling, blushing lightly, and that reassured James a great deal.

“But you know that I… I don’t have casual sex. It’s really not my thing…” the man went on, looking at his hands, currently occupied with pulling threads on his hideous striped jumper. “And, even though I don’t regret our encounter one bit, I find it difficult to see myself repeating it.”

James’ hopes deflated a bit at the words, as he understood what Q was trying to say. They had talked long enough that James knew what Q liked, and it wasn’t James.

Q liked people with a certain intellect, who could speak with intricate structures and depth. He liked romantic people, who would pamper and dote on him as much as they could. Someone who’d serenade him at midnight on a work day and write him love letters.

Q liked thin boys around his age, with tattoes and tank tops and boots and…

and James was only a fit businessman who knew his way around ladies and gentlemen.

“I understand.” James said, just as Q was trying to say something else. He signed Q to not worry. “Really, I’m just… well, it’s just strange that it happened. I promise it won’t happen again.”

He was glad really. He and Q would go back to be good friends and all would be perfect once again.

“Oh, actually, I was hoping we could do it again…” Q said, and the words hit James like a train.

“Pardon?”

Q smiled, scratching the back of his head. “Well, I was thinking that maybe I could… you know… dinner?”

James blinked and gaped at the man like a fish out of water. “Did you just… ask me out?”

Q nodded vigorously and grinned brightly, awaiting an answer.

“Yes.” James said, leaning over his desk to grab Q by the shoulder and crash their mouths together.

* * *

 

 

Dating Q was an odd experience. He had dated before, but nothing that lasted more than a couple of weeks and even then, he had cheated two times out of three. He wasn’t a very good man when it came to relationships. Q had made it very clear from the beginning that no cheating would be forgiven, and while James had thought he’d have trouble with keeping it in his pants, he instead found out it was easy.

Even because after three weeks of dating, he hardly looked at other people with anything more than an appreciative look.

“She’s so pretty gosh, I feel like a pigeon poop on the sidewalk…” Q sighed. The girl in question left the coffee shop in a blur of her flower print dress and her rainbow colored hair.

James chuckled as he walked back to their table with his coffee and Q’s tea. “I have to agree.”

Q smiled at him and kissed his cheek in thanks, sipping his tea quietly.

PDA had also been a new thing for James. As his affairs stayed in the bedroom, he had never really walked down a busy street hand in hand with someone. Or maybe yes, but when he was 16.

To James it was surprising anchoring, as if having the other’s hand in his was all he needed to stay grounded, especially after a rough week at work. Kisses were shared mostly in the privacy of their homes, as both of them would feel awkward making out in public.

James locked his arm with Q’s and entwined their hands. He felt Q squeeze back and the simple gesture made James smile. He turned around saying

 

**“Happy one year anniversary.”**

 

James said and Q couldn’t help but hum and smile.

He thought he would have regretted dating the man, or that it would have ended soon. It hadn’t been easy, as they hardly agreed on everything and their different sentimental backgrounds set them eons apart sometimes.

But Q had managed to let himself go and enjoy being with James. And he hadn’t been happier.

The sex was what surprised him the most. Having only had two meaningful relationship, thus having had sex —  and not a lot of it —  with only two people, he was far less experienced than James. Also, much less eager than the other man.

They had had an animated discussion about the topic, as James had been worried he wasn’t attractive enough for Q and the other was only playing along because he asked it. It took a while for Q to explain how he simply didn’t feel like sex was that much of a deal, and after a couple of weeks of awkward adjusting, everything was good again.

“I have acquired a movie for once we go back home after sushi…” James murmured, settling down his empty cup and pushing it aside. He leaned on Q’s shoulder and the other kissed his temple.

“I thought we would have a quiet night in… me you… silk bedsheets…” Q replied, and felt James shake with laughter against him. They shared a look that said ‘ _if we were at home instead of in public I would’ve already ravished you throughoutly_ ' and went back to their breakfast. Q swore some teenage girl just snapped a picture of them, and he _knew_ the group of women in the boot on the right were talking about them.

Q sipped on his tea, and wondered where he would have been if he had never walked up to the wrong bus stop that one, cold monday morning. 

 


End file.
